Department for Transport

Railways: Freight

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average speed of a freight train on British railways for the last year for which figures are available; and how that figure has changed over the previous three years.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport does not routinely hold information on the annual average speeds of freight trains. Data regarding average speeds of freight trains is available from Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager for the national network. Network Rail’s Freight Network Study, published in April 2017, included some analysis which looked at average line speeds and potential capability enhancements to reduce journey times.

Aviation: Alcoholic Drinks

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the airline industry and the Civil Aviation Authority on issues relating to alcohol consumption on flights to and from the UK.

baroness sugg: The Government is in close contact with the industry and the Civil Aviation Authority on issues relating to disruptive passenger events, a proportion of which occur due to consumption of alcohol before and during a flight. The Government has taken part in several roundtable events to discuss all aspects of the issue, including but not limited to alcohol consumption. The industry bodies have joined together to create the UK Aviation Industry Code of Practice on Disruptive Passengers, with the purpose of creating a common, consistent approach that co-ordinates and enhances existing efforts to prevent and minimise disruptive passenger behaviour. The Government will continue to engage and meet with a broad range of operators in the aviation sector to explore any further actions to support the Code.

Raynes Park Station: Disability

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Network Rail have any plans to improve the accessibility for disabled people of Raynes Park station in the London Borough of Merton; and if so, what improvements will be made, and what are the expected completion dates for those works.

baroness sugg: Raynes Park is currently accessible to two of the platforms (1 and 2) so improvements would be needed to only the other two platforms, the southwest bound ones. Much of our station infrastructure is Victorian and is therefore not accessible to many disabled passengers. In recognition of the scale of the problem there is a gradual improvement approach and stations are selected by annual footfall, industry priority, availability of third party funding and local factors e.g. nearby hospital. All of the available Access for All funding has now been allocated to projects until Spring 2019. However, we intend to seek further funding for the programme thereafter and should this be successful we will commission new nominations for projects from the industry. For Raynes Park to be considered, it would need strong support from the train operating company. Furthermore, a proportion of third party funding would help to weight the station’s prioritisation.

Aviation: Egypt

lord risby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current risk assessment of Sharm El Sheikh Airport.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport carries out regular assessments of aviation security at all last points of departure airports to the UK from Egypt. It is long standing government policy not to comment, or publish, details on security matters. We look forward to achieving the return of flights once we can be assured that the necessary security environment can be sustained.

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the entry into force of the International Maritime Organisation International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments on 8 September, what action they are taking to ensure compliance through Port State Control, including the issuing of guidance to port operators and shipowners, and the policing and monitoring of the regulations; and how they propose to fund those activities.

baroness sugg: The Government is committed to implementing the Ballast Water Convention domestically and officials are currently working to develop appropriate legislation. Guidance has been issued by means of a Marine Information Note which is available to port operators and shipowners. The UK implementation will include further guidance, alongside specific requirements for inspection and enforcement through Port State Control. It is expected that these activities will be delivered through the normal operating budget of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Home Office

Madeleine McCann

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when funding for Operation Grange, investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is due to end.

baroness williams of trafford: Following a recent application from the Metropolitan Police Service, the Home Office has confirmed Special Grant funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2018. The resources required for the investigation are reviewed regularly and careful consideration will be given to any future Special Grant funding applications from the force.

Alcoholic Drinks

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to produce an alcohol strategy.

baroness williams of trafford: Although alcohol consumption has fallen in recent years, the harms associated with alcohol remain too high. The Government remains committed to reducing alcohol-related harms and continues to deliver actions from our Modern Crime Prevention Strategy which identified alcohol as a driver of crime.The 2016 UK Chief Medical Officers low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the most up to date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking. The Government continues to keep alcohol policy under review.

Deportation

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any projection of the number of deportations of (1) EU, and (2) non-EU, nationals from the UK after Brexit; and if so, what.

baroness williams of trafford: After the UK leaves the EU, as now, we will seek to deport EU and non-EU nationals who commit serious crimes or otherwise pose a threat to the UK. We have not made any projections of numbers.

Deportation

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many intended deportations have been overturned by a discretionary decision to naturalise non-UK citizens by nationality, annually since 2010.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the number of naturalisations by discretion (1) by nationality, (2) by gender, (3) by age, and (4) by ethnicity, annually since 2010.

baroness williams of trafford: All grants of naturalisation as a British citizen are at the discretion of the Home Secretary. She may, if she sees fit, naturalise a person who meets the provisions set out at section 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981. These include a requirement to have been lawfully resident in the UK for a continuous period, be free of immigration time restrictions, be of good character and have sufficient knowledge of English and of life in the United Kingdom. The Home Secretary has some discretion over certain residence requirements, but there is no power in law to grant citizenship outside of the statutory requirements of the 1981 Act.One of the statutory requirements for naturalisation is that a person should not have been in breach of the immigration laws in the residential qualifying period before applying. Another is that he or she is of good character. As such, a person who is subject to a deportation order would not normally qualify for naturalisation.Information of persons naturalised as a British citizen by previous nationality is published annually and given in the table attached. Statistics on grants of British citizenship by category and previous nationality is published in the Home Office ‘Immigration Statistics’ Citizenship table cz_07, available on the .GOV.UK website.



HL 2208 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 33.25 KB)

British Nationality: Ceremonies

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is given to local councils on the costs of gifts presented to new British citizens at citizenship ceremonies.

baroness williams of trafford: There is no specific guidance on the costs of gifts presented to new citizens at citizenship ceremonies. The cost of the gift is covered within the £80 ceremony fee.

Refugees: Social Security Benefits

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 25 July 2016 (HL1295), when they expect to publish their evaluation of the pilot scheme, carried out by the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, to expedite the first payment of any benefit for which newly recognised refugees qualify.

baroness williams of trafford: The new scheme was put in place to ensure that refugees who wish to apply for benefits are assisted with their application and receive a prompt first payment of any benefit for which they qualify. The scheme was tested successfully in the North East and Yorkshire and Humberside regions earlier this year and has now been rolled out to all areas of the country where asylum seekers are accommodated by the Home Office.We are talking to the main voluntary sector groups representing refugees about the roll put process and providing information about how the scheme works.

Immigration Controls

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many passports did not work at ePassport gates in airports in the UK in (1) 2014, (2) 2015, and (3) 2016.

baroness williams of trafford: Border Force does not hold the data requested.

Police: Biometrics

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what isthe number of facial biometric recognition systems currently being used by police forces in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The information requested is not held centrally.

Offences against Children: Criminal Investigation

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromBaroness Williams of Trafford on 16 October (HL1670), whether they have plans to ensureimprovements to police training in order to improve the manner in which allegations of child sexual abuse are investigated.

baroness williams of trafford: As the professional body for policing, the College of Policing is responsible for setting national standards and guidance in this area. The Government has provided millions of pounds of extra investment through the Police Transformation Fund to transform policing to respond to changing crimes and threats. Through this fund we have already awarded £1.9 million to the College of Policing to transform policing’s approach to crimes against vulnerable people, including child sexual abuse.The package includes piloting a licence to practise which will ensure that only those officers who are qualified to carry out specialist investigations in high risk areas like child protection, are able to do so. This will be supported by a code of practice for CSA investigations, which will help chief officers implement supporting structures needed to ensure forces are undertaking these investigations efficiently and effectively.

Offences against Children: Criminal Investigation

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromBaroness Williams of Trafford on 16 October (HL1668), whether they have made representations to the Metropolitan Police and the Wiltshire Constabulary about public disquiet regarding the handling of well-publicised allegations of child sexual abuse; and if so, what replies have been received.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has made no representations. The police are rightly operationally independent of Government and should be free from any political interference. How an individual force handles an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse is a matter for the relevant Chief Officer. It is for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to hold their Chief Officers to account.

Biometrics

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much theHome Office has spenton facial biometric recognition technology to date, and which companies have been paid to build facial biometric recognition systems.

baroness williams of trafford: The facial biometric technology built for the Home Office was developed as part of the original builds for the Immigration Asylum Biometric System and ePassport Gates and therefore the costs cannot be extracted individually. The companies that have been paid are as follows: IBM/Oberthan (previously known as Safran / Morpho) Vision Box (Cognitec) CGI (Cognitec)

Crime

lord condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the most recent rises in reported crime and the underlying trends relating to reported crime.

baroness williams of trafford: Police recorded crime figures for England and Wales are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Annual figures for the years ending June 2014 to June 2017 are included in Table 1 below. Table 1: Police recorded crime, ONS, year ending June 2014 – year ending June 2017. Taken from ‘Crime in England and Wales: Bulletin Tables’, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesbulletintables  Year EndingJune 2014June 2015June 2016June 2017Total police recorded crime in England and Wales (inc fraud)3,717,0894,260,2394,577,3755,156,928  Overall police recorded crime (including fraud) increased by 13% in the year ending June 2017 compared with the previous year. The ONS points to improvements to recording practices by forces, expanded offence coverage, an increased willingness of victims to come forward and report certain crimes like sexual offences and domestic abuse to the police and genuine increases in some crime categories, especially in those that are well recorded, as important factors in explaining trends in police recorded crime. Crimes traditionally measured by the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales are down by almost 40% since 2010 and by 70% since their peak in 1995. The most recent national crime figures are published by the Office for National Statistic in ‘Crime in England and Wales: year ending June 2017’ (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/june2017).

Norfolk Constabulary: Police Community Support Officers

lord condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by Norfolk Police to dispense with all of their Police Community Support Officers.

baroness williams of trafford: It is for the Chief Constable and the directly accountable Police and Crime Commissioner of each force area to take decisions on the size and composition of the workforce including community support officers in order to meet local needs and priorities.

Refugees: Hungary

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Commission in relation to Hungary's refusal to participate in the EU-wide programme of relocation of refugees.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK does not participate in the EU relocation scheme for asylum-seekers and, therefore, we are not involved in the related discussions. The Government notes the recent Court of Justice of the European Union judgment on the legality of the scheme in a case brought by Hungary and Slovakia. The court found the scheme was legal and proportionate.

Hate Crime

baroness gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 October (HL Deb, col 615), what work they are doing with industry to tackle hate crime; what measures are being developed to tackle such abuse; and when such measures will be implemented.

lord lee of trafford: The Hate Crime Action Plan was launched in July 2016. This plan sets out a range of non-legislative responses including counter-narrative activity and collaborative work with the Internet industry to identify ways to reduce the harm caused by hate crime online.The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are consulting on introducing a social media code of practice as part of the Internet Safety Strategy which was published on 11 October. As laid out in the Digital Economy Act 2017, the code will seek to ensure that providers offer adequate online safety policies, introduce minimum standards and metrics and ensure regular review and monitoring. Government will continue to consult with stakeholders in the technology industry on the details of the code of practice before its introduction in 2018.

Motor Vehicles: Forfeiture

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vehicles were confiscated in England and Wales in 2016; for which offences; how many were (1) released, (2)sold, and(3)crushed; and how much moneywas raised for each police service through those confiscations and subsequent sales.

baroness williams of trafford: This information is not centrally recorded. The recovery, storage and disposal of vehicles is an operational matter for the police.

Immigration Controls

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to inspect proof of nationality on entry into Britain of people travelling from the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

baroness williams of trafford: The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an existing special border-free zone which facilitates the long-standing principle of free movement for British and Irish nationals and the enjoyment of reciprocal rights enjoyed by the respective state’s citizens. It is made up of the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies (Jersey; Guernsey; Isle of Man). There are no routine immigration controls on journeys from within the CTA. To protect this arrangement there is a high level of collaboration between the UK and Ireland to strengthen the external border of the CTA. The Government is committed to maintaining the CTA once the UK leaves the EU, including the joint work with Ireland aimed at securing the external CTA border and preventing abuse of the arrangement. This will protect the ability to move freely within the UK and between the UK and Ireland, recognising the special importance of this to people in their daily lives, and the underpinning it provides for the Northern Ireland peace process.

EU Nationals: Deportation

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether EU citizens remaining in the UK after Brexit will be subject to the same deportation rules as non-EU citizens.

baroness williams of trafford: The latest joint technical note on the comparison of EU –UK position on citizens’ rights, published in September on GOV.UK, outlines that the current EEA test of ‘public policy, and public security and public health’ will continue to apply to any criminal activity committed prior to exit. Post exit, the UK Government’s position is that any criminal activity by EEA nationals and their family members should be considered against UK domestic law for non-EEA nationals. This is subject to negotiation.

Police: Biometrics

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many facial biometric recognition systems are being used by police forces in England and Wales.

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on facial biometric recognition by police forcesin England and Wales in(1) 2014–15, (2) 2015–16,and (3) 2016–17.

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the cost for an upgrade of all England and Wales police force custody image databases and IT systems to enable automatic deletion to be a standard technical function.

baroness williams of trafford: The information requested is not held centrally.

Passports: Northern Ireland

lord laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many passports Her Majesty's Passport Office (Northern Ireland Regional Office) has issued in each year since 2007.

baroness williams of trafford: The table below contains the number of UK passports issued by Belfast Passport Office since 2007.Calendar YearPassports issued in Belfast Passport Office2007364,8212008341,8982009370,6222010364,6882011408,6282012427,4222013433,5302014628,5282015767,5982016750,9372017*358,457Total5,217,129 *2017 information is up to and including June 2017.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Rohingya

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (1) Aung San Suu Kyi, and (2) the government of Burma, regarding recent reports of rape and other sexual violence committed by the Burmese armed forces against the Rohingya people.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary has repeatedly been clear about the need for the Burmese authorities to end the violence in Rakhine. This includes sexual violence. He has made these calls in telephone conversations with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 7 and 17 September, and 21 October; and to the Burmese National Security Advisor and Deputy Foreign Minister at a meeting of foreign ministers he convened at the UN on 18 September.The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific met Burma's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 20 September at the UN and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma on 27 September, and reiterated the same messages. Our Ambassador and Embassy official in Rangoon have regularly raised concerns with Burmese Ministers, most recently on 24 October.I made a statement at the Human Rights Council on 11 September which made clear the UK strongly condemned the violence in Rakhine, and called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and address the humanitarian crisis.

Burma: Rohingya

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Foreign Secretary has had with the Secretary of State for International Development about a co-ordinated UK response to alleged sexual violence against the Rohingya people in Burma, in the context of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has a clear commitment to tackling sexual violence across the globe. The Foreign Secretary has directed his officials to pursue this actively in situations of conflict or violence, and to work with officials from the Department of International Development (DFID) in doing so. Foreign and Commonwealth Officials (FCO) and DFID officials have collaborated closely in the UK's response to the crisis in Rakhine, including the international response to credible allegations of sexual violence against Rohingya individuals. FCO and DFID colleagues are urgently speaking with humanitarian organisations and UN agencies, including the UN Secretary General's Special Representative, to assess the level of support being provided for survivors of sexual violence currently in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The Foreign Secretary is keen to assess whether the UK's response is supportive of the immediate medical and psycho-social services being provided and to ensure appropriate documentation can be carried out.

Sudan: Human Trafficking

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof Sudan’s role in human trafficking in thelight ofthe government of the United States reportTrafficking in Persons Report 2017,which stated that the government of Sudan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to improve.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK Government has noted the findings of the Trafficking in Persons Report 2017, and shares a number of the concerns that the US Government has outlined. Sudan is a source, transit, and destination country for migrants, many of whom are vulnerable to trafficking.We will continue to provide support to the Government of Sudan to address this issue. Human trafficking was a key topic of discussion at the fourth session of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue held on 16 October. Through the International Organisation for Migration, we are working with the Sudanese Judiciary and prosecutors to develop understanding of anti-trafficking legislation, as well as providing assistance to victims.

Iran: Nuclear Power

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they held with the White House prior to the President of the United States' announcement that he would not certify Iran's compliance with its commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have frequent and extensive engagement with the White House at all levels, both on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) and on regional issues. Throughout, we have stressed our commitment to full implementation of the deal by all parties, which is in our shared security interests. The Prime Minister met President Trump in New York on 20 September and spoke to him on 10 October. On both occasions she made clear that the deal is working and is a UK national security priority. The Foreign Secretary also met Secretary of State Tillerson in London on 14 September and spoke to him by phone on 9 October. In these conversations the Foreign Secretary emphasised that the JCPoA is the best means to neutralise the nuclear threat from Iran and that the deal is working.

Burma: Voting Rights

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the disenfranchisement of Burmese citizens, including the Rohingya, in the November 2015 elections in Myanmar.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We made clear to the Burmese authorities in advance of the November 2015 election our concerns about the status and vulnerability of former white card holders, and the risk of the Rohingya and others being disenfranchised from the elections. We stressed the need for a clear process to replace these documents, as well as a transparent, inclusive and consistent process in establishing the status of inhabitants of Rakhine State. The disenfranchisement of the community in that election and removal of white card identity documents compounded the denial of the most basic rights of Burma's Rohingya community.We welcome Aung San Suu Kyi's speech on 12 October with its express commitment to bring an end to the suffering in Rakhine and the return to Burma of Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh. We also support her intention to implementing the Rakhine Advisory Commission's recommendations, including its call for an acceleration of the citizenship verification process in line with the 1982 Citizenship Law.

Burma: Rohingya

baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of efforts to prevent and address sexual violence in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, and of the processes in place to ascertain and record the culpability of perpetrators.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development (DFID) colleagues are urgently assessing the UN-led sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) response on the ground, including the level of identification and outreach, clinical management and what additional support the UK may usefully provide. DFID have funded the deployment of an international expert to UNFPA in Cox's Bazar to lead the Gender-based violence Sub-Sector, part of the UNHCR-led Protection Sector of the international humanitarian response. We are in dialogue with the Coordinator to better understand the level of incidence, response and coordination and associated challenges.There are few agencies on the ground with the capacity to clinically manage and support cases of sexual violence. In part this has been due to a lack of resources but a more significant factor is the lack of agency capacity. Médecins Sans Frontières has the single most important capability for clinical management of rape. UNFPA also remains a significant actor. The International Organization for Migration, UNHCR and partners are also providing care to survivors through its health centres across the camps and spontaneous settlements. Their focus is currently on outreach and identification of cases for clinical management and support, though population mobility is rendering this challenging. We are urgently discussing with the UN Secretary General's Special Representative and humanitarian organisations in situ capacity for evidence gathering and how the UK can support this work too, including the possible deployment of experts from the UK.​

Burma: Rohingya

baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar regarding its reported complicity in the torture, rape and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya people.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary has been clear about the need for the Burmese authorities to end the violence in Rakhine. He has made these points in telephone conversations with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 7 and 17 September and with the Burmese National Security Advisor and Deputy Foreign Minister at a meeting of foreign ministers he convened at the UN on 18 September.The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific met Burma's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 20 September at the UN and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma on 27 September, and reiterated the same messages.The UK has led international efforts on Rakhine. The UK has raised Burma three times at the UN Security Council (UNSC) since the outbreak of violence. The UN Security Council has called for the Burmese authorities to stop the violence and allow humanitarian access. We are actively engaged with other Council members to work on further necessary action. ​​

Syria: Islamic State

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that British citizens who have fought for ISIL in Syria, and who have surrendered or been captured after the fall of Raqqa, will face justice in Syria and will not be repatriated to the UK.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The decision to prosecute individuals overseas should be taken by the relevant competent authorities. The Government has been clear that individuals who have travelled to Syria both be prepared to be subject to justice abroad and should expect to be investigated, if they return to the UK.

Israel: Hebron

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding restrictions placed on Palestinian families, including the welding shut of front doors of houses, in the occupied Old City of Hebron.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement within the West Bank, including Hebron. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa visited the Old City of Hebron in August and witnessed the restrictions faced by Palestinian families and the impact on their lives. Through our Embassy in Tel Aviv we have lobbied the appropriate authorities on the issue of movement and access.

Northern Ireland Office

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland regarding the cancelling of its schools outreach programme.

lord duncan of springbank: Registration initiatives are an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer. I understand the schools registration initiative for this year has been postponed by the Chief Electoral Officer but that she will be in touch with schools and colleges to explore how best to use the digital registration system to register students once it goes live.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland regarding the closing of its telephone helpline.

lord duncan of springbank: The closure of the freephone election helpline is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer. I understand that the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland have discontinued the freephone election helpline which has historically been made available during election periods. The general public continue to be able to receive advice from the Electoral Office by telephone and the contact numbers for the Area Electoral Offices and Belfast headquarters are available on the Electoral Office website.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland regarding the number of staff working overtime to cover vacant positions, and the annual costs involved.

lord duncan of springbank: Staffing and overtime in the Electoral Office are an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer.

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland regarding whether plans to introduce online registration are (1) on time and (2) within budget.

lord duncan of springbank: These are operational matters for the Chief Electoral Officer. The work to introduce online registration has continued and the new computer system designed to facilitate digital registration is nearing completion. I would hope to see digital registration introduced to Northern Ireland in spring 2018. The delays in the development and implementation of the digital registration project have been in part due to a number of unscheduled electoral events. We have ensured the Electoral Office has sufficient budget to secure delivery of the new electoral management system.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Finance

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made recent representations to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland concerning their budget allocation for the current and subsequent financial years; and how the current budget compares with the budget for 2015–16.

lord duncan of springbank: The Northern Ireland Office keep the budget allocations for the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland under review and discuss funding at regular governance meetings to ensure that appropriate resources are available to enable the Chief Electoral Officer to carry out her statutory duties. The Noble Lord may wish to note that the Northern Ireland Office made additional funding available to EONI in 2016/17 to support a voluntary exit scheme and the procurement of a new computer system.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Finance

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any request from the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland for additional resources for the financial years 2017–18 and 2018–19; and if so, what was the quantum and intended purposes of the requested resources.

lord duncan of springbank: The Chief Electoral Officer requested additional resources of £149k for the financial year 2017-18 to support the introduction of the new Electoral Management System. This request was granted. There have been no requests for additional resources for the financial year 2018-19.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Pay

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the cost to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland of paying staff to act up to a higher pay grade pending permanent appointments during the last three years for which figures are available.

lord duncan of springbank: Staffing arrangements are an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer. The CEO would be best placed to answer this query and the Noble Lord may wish to contact her directly

Attorney General

Hate Crime: Prosecutions

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on freedom of speech of the definitions used by the Crown Prosecution Service to identify racist or religious incidents and crimes and to monitor the decisions and outcomes, as detailed in their Racist and Religious Hate Crime Prosecution Guidance.

lord keen of elie: The CPS legal guidance on prosecuting racist and religious hate crime recognises the potential impact of prosecutions on Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to freedom of expression). The guidance recognises that not only is speech which is well-received and popular protected, but also speech which is offensive, shocking or disturbing. It is essential in a free, democratic and tolerant society that people are able to exchange views, even when offence may be caused. However, when making prosecution decisions the CPS must balance the rights of an individual to freedom of speech and expression against the duty of the state to act proportionately in the interests of public safety, to prevent disorder and crime, and to protect the rights of others.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has agreed a shared definition of hate crime with the police in order to ensure that all relevant cases are captured as early possible. This definition is based upon the perception of the victim or any other person and is wider than the legal definition. However, in order for the CPS to bring a successful hate crime prosecution the CPS must present sufficient evidence to prove that the offence meets the definition of the crime set out in the relevant legislation.

Department for Education

Science: Graduates

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students have completed their studies in the UK over the last 20 years at (1) undergraduate, (2) taught masters, and (3) doctorate level, in (a) molecular biology, biochemistry and related disciplines, and (b) medicinal chemistry and other areas of drug development.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students have completed their studies in the UK over the last 20 years at (1) undergraduate, (2) taught masters, and (3) doctorate level, in (a) biostatistics and medical statistics, and (b) regulatory science.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students have completed their studies in the UK over the last 20 years at (1) undergraduate, (2) taught masters courses, and (3) doctorate level in the following disciplines: (a) health economics, and (b) medical data analytics or related disciplines.

viscount younger of leckie: The Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) collects data on students enrolled and qualifying from courses at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including information on subject of study. Data on numbers of students qualifying from undergraduate, taught masters and doctorate level courses in these subjects is provided in the tables attached for each year from 2007/08 to 2015/16. Prior to 2007/08, the low-level subject classification was provided by HEIs on a voluntary basis and as such, counts of students studying each of these subjects are not provided because they would not give a consistent picture of the total number of students over time. Data for 2016/17 will become available in January 2018. The Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) is the classification of subjects used by HESA. The closest classification to “molecular biology, biochemistry and related disciplines” is “molecular biology, biophysics & biochemistry”, which has a JACS code of C7. Medicinal chemistry has a JACS code of F150. The closest available classification to “biostatistics and medical statistics” or to “medical data analytics” is “medical statistics”, which has a JACS code of G311. These are detailed level codes and some universities may occasionally allocate students to more general codes. These codes are chosen by HEIs to best describe the course studied in its totality. An appropriate classification is not available for “regulatory science” or “health economics” and hence figures for these subjects have not been provided. Further information on the most appropriate subject classification for a particular subject can be obtained by contacting HESA. More information on JACS codes can be found at: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/jacs/jacs3-detailed.



Course data
(PDF Document, 338.54 KB)

Nurses: Training

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of maintenance support awarded to nursing students who study on a full-time basis via distance learning.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government does not currently make maintenance loans available for distance learning undergraduate study.

Universities: Finance

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the terms of reference and membership of the major review of university funding and student financing, announced by the Prime Minister on 4 October, will be published.

viscount younger of leckie: Sustainable university funding and student finance are a priority in delivering this government’s objectives on higher education. The government will set out further steps on higher education student financing in due course.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

lord lester of herne hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 October (HL Deb, cols 393–5), what are the terms of the agreement between the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Lord Shinkwin regarding his participation in the Commission's work.

lord agnew of oulton: The Terms and Conditions of Lord Shinkwin’s appointment as an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Commissioner are the same as those of other EHRC Board members.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been granted compassionate release from prison on the grounds of ill-health in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: The number of prisoners granted early release on compassionate grounds for reasons of ill-health in each of the last five calendar years are: 20121020138201411201572016152017 to date5TOTAL56 These figures have been drawn from internal records and the Public Protection Unit Database in the National Offender Management Service. As with any large scale recording systems, they are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents in prisons have required (1) the use of the National Tactical Response Group, (2) the deployment of Tornado teams, and (3) the opening of Gold Command, in each month in 2016 and 2017; and what were the reasons for the action taken in each case.

lord keen of elie: In 2016 support from the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) was required for total of 583 incidents occurring in prisons in England and Wales. In the same year, Tornado resources were deployed in response to 19 incidents across the prison estate. Gold Command was opened 66 times to provide national coordination and support to incident management over the course of the year. At the time of request, in 2017 NTRG support has been required for a total of 386 incidents occurring in prisons in England and Wales. Tornado resources have been deployed in response to 20 incidents across the prison estate. Gold Command has, to date, been opened a total of 36 times this year to provide national coordination and support to incident management across the estate. A comprehensive month-by-month summary of NTRG,Tornado deployments and Gold Command openings – including incident type– for 2016 and 2017 has been provided in the accompanying spreadsheet.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children suffered injuries during the use of restraint in each custodial institution in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed by the establishment, this includes looking at whether any lessons can be learned for the future. Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) has been specifically developed for use by staff working with young people in custody. MMPR provides a greater emphasis on managing challenging behaviour without resorting to restraint and also stresses the importance of accurate reporting to enable the ongoing analysis of its effectiveness. It also includes restraint techniques which have, for the first time, been assessed by an independent panel of medical and behaviour management experts, the Restraint Advisory Board. MMPR has been rolled out in all the Secure Training Centres and under 18 Young Offender Institutions. There are no plans to implement this method of restraint in Secure Children’s Homes who have their own restraint procedures. We do not collect data on the number of children injured during restraint but data is available on injuries sustained as a result of a Restrictive Physical intervention (RPI), this is provided in the table below for children and young people in Secure Training Centres, Secure Children’s Homes and under 18 Young Offender Institutions in the last five years. RPI is defined as ‘’any occasion when force is used with the intention of overpowering or to overpower a young person’’. Over power is defined as ‘’restricting movement or mobility”. 2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Secure Children's Home Total169158156123123Aldine House121430Atkinson Unit*..........Aycliffe3651241514Barton Moss001325Clayfields1611293216East Moor (Adel Beck)1535302728Gladstone Unit*..........Hillside2991235Kyloe House*..........Lincolnshire161461719Orchard Lodge*..........Redbank*2914120..Sutton Place*..........Swanwick Lodge15112056Vinney Green121181810  Secure Training Centre Total336243247136148Hassockfield*140788228..Medway7896542430Oakhill3123343458Rainsbrook8746775060  Young Offender Institution Total685590309170106Ashfield*84531....Brinsford*..........Castington*..........Castington (Oswald Unit)*..........Cookham Wood6128228526Downview*360....Eastwood Park*100....Feltham501991111Feltham (Heron Unit)*610....Foston Hall*..........Hindley*16413112124..Huntercombe*..........Lancaster Farms*..........New Hall*010....Parc7936241635Stoke Heath*0........Thorn Cross*Warren Hill*52712....Warren Hill (Carlford Unit)*110....Werrington8553231013Wetherby - Keppel Unit17231424Wetherby82167932217 Please note:* = The YJB withdrew from this establishment at some point during the time period given... = Not applicable

Prisons: Smoking

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisons in England and Wales have implemented a smoking ban.

lord keen of elie: 66 prisons are now smoke free.

Prisons: Smoking

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for a roll-out of a smoking ban in prisons.

lord keen of elie: There are now 66 prisons smoke free. The phased rollout now underway will reduce the risk to staff and prisoners of exposure to second hand smoke, whilst maintaining the safety and security of our prisons. In every case, the decision on when to go smoke free is only taken after careful planning and preparation. The final decision is taken when each prison has met stringent checks to ensure that it is appropriate to do so and all necessary healthcare support is available to help prisoners give up smoking.

Prisons: Smoking

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance has been issued to prisons ahead of introducing a smoking ban; what support is available to prisoners in preparation for a smoking ban; and what on-going support will be available to prisoners once the smoking ban has come into effect.

lord keen of elie: The decision on when to go smoke free in every prison is only taken after careful planning and preparation; and the final decision is only taken when each prison has met stringent checks to ensure that it is safe to do so and all necessary healthcare support is available to help prisoners give up smoking.All prisoners are given support in quitting smoking if they need it, including nicotine replacement therapy and behavioural support. They are also able to purchase e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

Ministry of Defence

National Security

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Earl Howe on 25 October, what is their definition of state actor in relation to security issues; and why they use this term.

earl howe: In the context of my response to Lord Tebbit in the Chamber on 25 October 2017 (Official Report, column 931), I used the term 'state actors' to mean members or former members of the security forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Protection Fund: Monarch Airlines

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Pension Protection Fund nominated someone to sit on the board of Monarch Airlines, or otherwise monitored (1) the financial performance and management of that company, and (2) its relationships with its controlling shareholder, affiliates of that shareholder, and its suppliers of aircraft.

baroness buscombe: The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is an independent body which pays compensation to members of defined benefit occupational pension schemes where the sponsoring employer becomes insolvent and the scheme is unable to cover the accrued pension liabilities.The PPF’s engagement with Monarch Airlines is an operational matter, and I have asked PPF to respond directly to the Noble Lord.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: EU Law

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which statutory instruments currently in force and approved by Resolution of both Houses of Parliament, relating to the responsibilities of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, are derived wholly, or in part, from EU legislation.

lord gardiner of kimble: There are 359 core statutory instruments currently in force, relating to the responsibilities of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which are derived wholly, or in part, from EU legislation. The Department has reviewed this list and made an estimate that 59 of the 359 statutory instruments were subject to approval by Resolution of both Houses of Parliament. The full list, including these estimates of the procedure followed, will be deposited in the House library. The full texts of these SIs as well as other information are also accessible from DefraLex via legislation.gov.uk/defralex.

Pesticides

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of glyphosate and neonicotinoids in crop production.

lord gardiner of kimble: Pesticides are highly regulated in the UK and can only be used if scientific assessment establishes that they pose no unacceptable risks to people or the environment. The Government keeps the developing evidence on neonicotinoids under review, advised by the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides. On the basis of current available evidence, we support the existing restrictions. UK specialists participated in the European Food Safety Authority’s assessment of glyphosate and support its conclusions that glyphosate meets the safety requirements for approval. The Government therefore supports the continuing approval of glyphosate.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Finance

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of new funding announced for housing in each year since June 2010 has been targeted towards (1) social housing, (2) affordable housing, and (3) Help to Buy, Rent to Buy and other similar schemes.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department for Communities and Local Government Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17 sets out the activities of the department across the financial year. This was published on 30 June 2017 and includes budget information about Help to Buy and Affordable Homes against total departmental budget. This is available (attached) online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dclg-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017For Help to Buy, the total budget for each financial year 2011/12 – 2015/16 is as follows: Budget for each financial year2011-12 (£m)2012-13 (£m)2013-14 (£m)2014-15 (£m)2015-16 (£m)Help to Buy (including First Buy)701429081,4691,505For affordable housing, including social housing, the government funds this through the Affordable Homes programme with bidding for funding being made at beginning of the process. It does not announce funding on a yearly basis.The expanded programme is fully flexible allowing a wider range of products that will help meet the housing needs of a wider range of people in different circumstances, including Help to Buy, Shared Ownership, Rent to Buy as well as affordable rent and social rent.  



Annual report and accounts 2016 - 2017
(PDF Document, 5.68 MB)

Housing and Planning Act 2016

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures provided for in or underthe Housing and Planning Act 2016 have been formally dropped.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Provisions 80-91 on rents for high income social tenants have formally been dropped.

Council Tax

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyplan to considerthe proposal for a prevention precept on council taxat district council level to match the social care precept available to county councils in two-tier shire counties.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government recently published the Local Government Finance Settlement 2018 to 2019: Technical Consultation. This sets out the Government’s intended approach for the third year of the multi-year settlement, including consideration of the council tax referendum thresholds which were set in 2017-18.The consultation closed on 26 October 2017 and proposals for 2018-19 will be published later in the year, following consideration of responses. The consultation (attached) can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/645012/2018-19_Local_Government_Finance_Settlement_-_technical_consultation.pdf



Consultation document
(PDF Document, 368.55 KB)

Homelessness

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the effectiveness of local homelessness strategies and monitor their progress in reducing homelessness.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness. The Homelessness Reduction Act will ensure that local authorities intervene at earlier stages to prevent homelessness.The new Homelessness Advice and Support Team, drawn from local authorities and the homelessness sector, will also provide support directly to local authorities leading up to and following the commencement of the Act. One of the team's objectives will include helping authorities to develop their homelessness strategies and governance, with a focus on preventing homelessness through closer collaboration across public services.We are also changing the way homelessness data is recorded and reported, which is currently only aggregated at the local authority level. The new Homeless Case Level Information Collection (H-CLIC) will provide household - level data and will therefore shed a light on local authorities' performance, improve transparency and enable better analysis of their responses to homelessness.

HM Treasury

Taxis: VAT

lord laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) taxis, (2) private hire cars, (3) Uber drivers, and (4) other types of taxi and private hire vehicle, are subject to VAT; and, if not, why not.

lord bates: Any taxi, private hire car, self-employed driver (including Uber drivers) or any other type of taxi or private hire vehicle where the annual taxable turnover exceeds £85,000 must register and charge VAT on their supplies.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of tax income and public revenue that will be foregone as a result of the failure of Monarch Airlines.

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the costs of repatriating customers of Monarch Airlines to the UK will be met, in any part, by HM Treasury; and if so, what assessment they have made of such costs.

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the taxpayer of repatriating the UK customers of Monarch Airlines.

lord bates: The costs of repatriating Monarch’s ATOL protected customers will be met by the ATOL scheme. The costs of repatriating all other passengers will be met by Her Majesty’s Government. The Civil Aviation Authority has estimated the total repatriation costs to be approximately £60m, although some of these costs will be met by the ATOL scheme. Government is also seeking to recover costs through credit card companies and travel providers who would otherwise be liable. HM Treasury has not made its own assessment of the costs and do not produce forecasts of future tax payments by specific taxpayers.

Tobacco: EU Law

lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on business resulting from the implementation, in their current form, of Articles 15 and 16 of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to pause implementation of Articles 15 and 16 of the EU Tobacco Products Directive in the light of concerns raised by UK business, and in the light of Brexit.

lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which current proposals for implementation of Articles 15 and 16 of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, as consulted upon by the European Commission, go beyond the original intent of the Directive; and whether they support the implementation of such measures.

lord bates: The government is continuing to study the draft implementing legislation for Articles 15 and 16 of the EU Tobacco Products Directive and is discussing the drafts with the Commission and other Member States. We are aware of concerns raised by businesses affected and are working to try to ensure that the system adopted is effective, efficient and proportionate in tackling the trade in illicit tobacco products which puts public health at risk and avoids the payment of duty. We will continue to assess the impact of the legislation and the timetable for implementation as the drafts develop, and we welcome and encourage those affected to continue to contribute their views and concerns.

Brexit

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what calculations they have made to substantiate the view, expressed by the Secretary of State for International Trade on BBC News on 17 October, that a negotiated Brexit deal would allow for slightly more economic growth than departure from the EU without such a deal, and (2) as a result of such calculations, what assessment they have made of the growth differential between a negotiated Brexit and leaving the EU without such a deal.

lord bates: The Government has undertaken a significant amount of work to assess the economic impacts of leaving the EU. This is part of our continued programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work on a range of scenarios on a sector by sector basis. It would not be appropriate to publish analysis that would risk damaging our negotiating position. In any negotiation, information on potential economic considerations is very important to the negotiating capital and negotiating position of all parties. The Government has committed to keep Parliament informed provided that doing so would not risk damaging our negotiating position.

Students: Loans

baroness neville-rolfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost to the Exchequer of the recently announced changes to student loan repayments.

lord bates: The government will set out the cost to the Exchequer of the recently announced changes to the repayment threshold for Plan 2 students in England next month.

NHS: VAT

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the cost of VATrefundsmade in relation to health bodies under the provisions of section 41(3) of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 are met from public expenditure voted by Parliament for the NHS.

lord bates: All NHS spend is voted on by Parliament as part of the Supply Estimates and National Insurance process. VAT refunds made to health bodies under Section 41(3) are treated within departmental budgets.

Economic Growth

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of recent figures indicating that the UK economy is growing at the slowest rate of the G7 countries, compared to its position as the fastest-growing G7 economy in 2014.

lord bates: The fundamentals of the UK economy are strong. The economy has grown for nineteen consecutive quarters and is 15.8% larger than at the start of 2010. Unemployment is 4.3%, the lowest rate since 1975, and the deficit has been cut by over two thirds.GDP grew by 1.8% in 2016, the second fastest in the G7. In their March Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that GDP will grow by 2.0% in 2017 and 1.6% in 2018.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Location

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the distribution of civil servants working in (1) England, (2) Scotland,(3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland, in each year since 2010.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply, and will place a copy of their letter in the House library.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 79.96 KB)

Migration

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the change in the net migration figures for UK citizens in each of the last two quarters.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply, and will place a copy of their letter in the House library.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 74.29 KB)

Census

lord laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the list of nationalities specified for public answer in the 2021 census; and which nationalities are being considered for inclusion as part of any such plans.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply, and will place a copy of their letter in the House library.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 117.26 KB)

Government Departments: Biometrics

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Government departments are using facial biometric technology; and for what reasons and purposes.

lord young of cookham: Two Government departments have involvement with this type of technology.The Home Office operates the e-gates facial recognition system at some airports. This compares a person’s face with biometric information held in their passport. The purpose of this system is to verify identity and speed entry to the UK by reducing the need for people to pass through desks staffed by immigration officers.The Home Office also operates the Police National Database on behalf of police forces. This includes a database of facial images taken from people who have been arrested. Images of suspects can be compared with this database for the purpose of detection of crime.The Department for Transport regulates Eurotunnel’s use of biometric checks on staff entry to high security zones but it does not use facial biometric technology to run checks on members of the public.

Travellers: Equality

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government why, in the Race Disparity Audit published on 10 October, they have not included information on housing, including permanent and transit sites, as well as unscheduled tenure, employment, social capital, income, and crime and policing, in respect of Gypsies and Irish Travellers.

lord young of cookham: The ethnicity data published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website includes data from the Census, published official statistics, numerous Government surveys and Departments’ own administrative records.The website includes education, health and some housing data about Gypsies and Irish Travellers. It does not currently include information about permanent and transit sites, as well as unscheduled tenure, employment, social capital, income, and crime and policing for this group.In relation to information on Gypsies and Irish Travellers, Government collects and reports data using a number of different ethnic group classifications.The Department of Education collects information about Travellers of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma separately whereas many other departments use the 2011 ethnic group Census classification which is Gypsy, Traveller or Irish Traveller. The Government will continue to add more data and update existing data on the website.In many cases where survey data has been collected using the 2011 ethnic group Census classification, the number of Gypsy, Traveller or Irish Travellers interviewed is very small (eg English Housing Survey and Crime Survey for England and Wales). These statistics have not been provided as they are not reliable and in some cases could potentially disclose personal information about individuals.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit: Wales

lord elystan-morgan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement made byBaroness Goldie on 17 October (HL Deb, col 511), (1) how many times the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU has spoken to Welsh government ministers since the 2017 General Election; (2) which ministers were spoken to; (3) when such discussions took place; (4) whether agendas or minutes for such discussions were produced; and (5)whether, in such meetings, consideration was given to raising issues which were subsequently discussed in the October meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations.

lord callanan: The Government has been engaging with the devolved administrations throughout the negotiation process. Ministers from the Department for Exiting the European Union have held discussions on six separate occasions with the Welsh government since the election to discuss the negotiations with the European Union and preparations for the UK’s future outside of the EU.The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, chaired by the First Secretary of State, was the latest opportunity for the devolved administrations to contribute to this process. Important progress was made. The Committee discussed priorities for the future relationship with the EU and agreed the principles that will underpin common UK frameworks.

Department for International Trade

North Korea: Foreign Trade

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of levels of trade in oil and coal between North Korea and other countries, in particular (1) China, and (2) Russia.

baroness fairhead: North Korea does not report trade statistics to international organisations, such as United Nations (UN) Comtrade. In addition, data reported by its trading partners are limited.The latest estimates of levels of trade in oil and coal, between North Korea and other countries, including China and Russia, are given in the attached spreadsheet.These are estimates reported by North Korea’s partner countries, sourced from UN Comtrade’s database: https://comtrade.un.org/data/.‘Coal’ is defined as Harmonised System (HS) code 2701: Coal; briquettes, ovoids and similar solid fuels manufactured from coal.‘Oil’ is defined as HS codes 2709 (Petroleum oils, crude) and HS 2710 (Petroleum oils, other than crude.)



Levels of trade in oil and coal
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.31 KB)

Nuclear Power

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop new arrangements for trade in nuclear goods and services, including licensing and customs systems, after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the Euratom Treaty.

baroness fairhead: The Government recognises the valuable contribution trade in nuclear goods and services makes to the UK economy. It is our aim for the UK to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade in goods and services with our European neighbours, and with wider markets. The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations with the EU. Throughout this, the Government will continue to engage with the nuclear sector.

Department of Health

Mental Illness: Research

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a programme and timetable to increase funding for mental health research from its current level of six per cent of health research so that it can achieve parity with funding for physical health research.

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate that mental health research funding will achieve parity with funding for physical health research.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government funders of health research do not generally set a target research spend for specific areas. The level of research spending in a particular area is driven by a number of factors, including the scientific potential and the number and scale of successful applications. In 2015-16, the topic-specific spend on mental health research by the National Institute for Health Research was second only to that spent on cancer. The Department has been collaborating with the mental health community to develop a ten year framework for research on mental health, which is expected to be published by the end of 2017. It is recognised that there is a need to encourage researchers in other disciplines to apply their research skills in the mental health field to help drive forward new approaches.

Mental Illness: Research

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been invested in UK mental health research over the past five years and how much of this has come each year from the EU.

lord o'shaughnessy: The most recent analysis by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration shows that the overall annual spend by major public and charitable United Kingdom funders related to mental health was £122.3 million in 2014. These analyses are not conducted annually. The majority of public and charity mental health research funding in the UK (82.6% in 2014) comes from three major funders: the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. The remainder is provided by other research councils, Government bodies and the charity sector. The annual spend on mental health research by the NIHR for the last five years is shown in the following table. YearAnnual spend (million)2012-13£70.02013-14£71.72014-15£72.62015-16£73.12016-17£76.6  Figures for European Union mental health research funding awarded to UK institutions is not available.

Mental Illness: Research

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to maintain the current levels of total funding for UK mental health research after the UK leaves the EU.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is committed to ensuring leaving the European Union is a success for the health and social care sector as well as the United Kingdom. The Government funders of health research do not generally set a target for research spend into specific areas, but the need for continuing and effective investment in mental health research is recognised. In addition to the ten year framework for mental health research, produced by the Department in collaboration with the mental health community, which will be published by the end of the year, the research councils have published their own mental health research strategies in 2017. These demonstrate the high importance attached by research funders to the need for a step change in mental health research. A cross-research council funding call has recently been announced for ‘network plus’ awards, which will build a cross-disciplinary research community.

Mental Illness: Research

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many EU nationals engaged in mental health research have left the UK since 23 June 2016, and how this number compares with the same time period before 23 June 2016.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government does not hold information on how many European Union nationals involved in mental health research have left the United Kingdom in either of the time periods specified.

Antibiotics: Research

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on international intergovernmental co-operation to offset market failures in the development of new antibiotics.

lord o'shaughnessy: The United Kingdom Government considers international inter-governmental co-operation to be essential in the development of new antibiotics.Through international forums, in particular the G20, the UK Government is advocating tangible actions that will incentivise pharmaceutical companies to produce effective, accessible and affordable new antibiotics. The Government is also investing internationally in early-stage research and development to address antimicrobial resistance, in partnership with other countries and organisations, through projects such as the Global Anti-Microbial Resistance Innovation Fund.

Congenital Abnormalities

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to holding a discussion with the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Germany, and the governments of the United States and Canada, on the difference in rates of neural tube defects in live births in those two groups of countries in order to explore the different policies which may have led to such differences.

lord o'shaughnessy: No such discussions are currently planned.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the families of children believed to have suffered serious adverse reactions to human papilloma virus vaccinations are treated with the same levels of dignity and respect accorded to families whose children have other medical conditions.

lord o'shaughnessy: Anyone suffering ill health deserves access to appropriate clinical investigation and care, and to be treated with dignity and respect. This is an important responsibility of doctors and other healthcare providers.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency takes every report of a suspected adverse reaction seriously and has closely evaluated the safety of the human papillomavirus vaccine since the vaccination programme was introduced in the United Kingdom in 2008. All reports, including any submitted by patients and their families, are kept under continual review to identify potential new risks.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency record individual symptoms relating to suspected adverse reactions to human papilloma virus vaccines instead of correlating those reported for each individual patient so that a complete picture of the patient’s condition is formed.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) encourages anyone to report a suspected adverse reaction to a vaccine or medicine through the Yellow Card Scheme. A Yellow Card report is not proof of a side effect occurring, but a suspicion by the reporter that the vaccine or medicine may have been the cause. Such reports are kept under continual review to identify potential new risks. All information provided in the report such as signs, symptoms or diagnoses are recorded by the MHRA. The full information included in a Yellow Card report is reviewed by the MHRA as this gives the most complete picture for evaluation. If required, the MHRA may follow up for more information.

Folic Acid

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any recent measurements of the take-up of folic acid supplements by women of child-bearing age; and whether any such measurements show differences in trends between different age groups.

lord o'shaughnessy: This data is not held centrally.

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord winston: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each year since 2008, what has been the incidence of (1) foetal abnormalities, and (2) autism or other neurological disorder, in birth or pregnancies resulting from the use of frozen oocytes after thawing and fertilisation.

lord o'shaughnessy: Information on the incidence of foetal abnormalities is shown in the following table:  Includes only cycles where exclusively embryos created from frozen eggs were transferredYear of treatmentFoetal abnormalities2008020091 (observed)2010020111 (uncertain)20120201302014020150 Note: Data has been provided for the latest verified data period: to 30 June 2015 for births.Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that since October 2007 it has only collected data where a congenital abnormality was reported as either observed or uncertain following a birth event. The HFEA has also advised that it does not collect information on the incidence of autism or other neurological disorders in births or pregnancies resulting from the use of frozen oocytes after thawing and fertilisation.

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord winston: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of oocytes frozen for a patient's own use, how many pregnancies, births, and miscarriages have resulted in each year since 2013, after the fertilisation of such oocytes in cases when those oocytes were collected and cryopreserved after the patient had reached the age of 35.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is shown in the following table:  Includes only cycles where exclusively embryos created from frozen eggs were transferredYear of treatmentPregnanciesMiscarriagesLive birth events201352320148071201590322016103n/an/a Notes:1The outcome of one reported pregnancy in 2014 has yet to be notified to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) by the clinic that carried out the treatment cycle.2Data for births has been provided for the latest verified data period: up to 30 June 2015.3Data for pregnancies has been provided for the latest verified data period: up to 30 June 2016 Source: HFEA

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord winston: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with regard to oocytes frozen for a patient's own use, in how many cases in each year since 2013 was more than one embryo transferred simultaneously to the uterus; and how many multiple pregnancies resulted.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is shown in the following table:  Includes only cycles where exclusively more than one embryo created from a frozen egg was transferredYear of treatmentTreatment cyclesMultiple pregnancies2013503201463120158572016644 Note: Data has been provided for the latest verified data period: up to 30 June 2016 for pregnancies.Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord winston: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the oocytes frozen for a patient's own use in the UK since 2013 were frozen and thawed for the purpose of treatment by in vitro fertilisation; of those that were thawed, how many were successfully fertilised and appeared to develop normally; of those, how many were transferred to a uterus; and how many resulted in a live birth, a pregnancy, or a miscarriage.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is shown in the following tables:  Of all treatment cycles in that yearYear of treatmentEggs stored for the patient’s own useEggs thawedEggs fertilisedEmbryos developedEmbryos transferred20135,94489533731714320147,1241,119488475176201510,2591,62373770622320166,1991,204590584179  Of cycles where exclusively embryos created from frozen eggs were transferredYear of treatmentPregnanciesMiscarriagesBirths20132061520142031520153101112016222n/an/aNote:Data has been provided for the latest verified data period:1Up to 30 June 2015 for births; and2Up to 30 June 2016 for pregnancies.Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority